Duly Noted Archive

Below are links to insightful or otherwise helpful blogs, pages, and similar internet materials on the topic of Biblical sexuality—its meaning, its truth, its applicability to every dimension of contermporary life. As this archive gows, it may be “organized.” For the present, the notes and links below are listed in the order in which they appeared on the front page of ICGS’ web site:

A Bridge Too Far — When Masculinity Mattered at the Movies (10092012)

Brad Schaeffer’s essay at Big Hollywood looks at the masculinity portrayed in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, noting the sea change in the kind of men one finds in film 40 years ago compared to the male “heros” of today: “the pasty-faced overly-sensitive coastal metrosexual vampire (‘Twilight’) or the buff but caricatured superhero (‘The Green Lantern’).” Read all of Schaeffer’s essay here.

Schaeffer concludes his essay with this observation:

My son, not yet 10, loves this movie [A Bridge Too Far]. My theory is that when he sees how these soldiers comport themselves with stoic valor that belies their genuine fears it taps into his still developing innate manhood; something primordial in him triggers a connection with alpha males like Col. Frost, the taciturn Gel. Gavin (O’Neal) the rock steady British Genl. Roy Urquhart (Connery), the no-nonsense cigar-chomping Col. Stout (Gould) and the cool and collected Sgt. Dohun (Caan) – who risks court-martial to honor a promise to keep his severely wounded lieutenant alive.

Why Are So Many Men Hooked on Internet Porn & Video Games? (10062012)

Russell Moore at his blog Moore to the Point adds an important insight into the spiritual plague that besets modern men, especially young men who get no guidance at all about why gaming and porn are spiritual quicksand. You can read Moore’s analysis here, and here’s an intro:

You know the guy I’m talking about. He spends hours into the night playing video games and surfing for pornography. He fears he’s a loser. And he has no idea just how much of a loser he is. For some time now, studies have shown us that porn and gaming can become compulsive and addicting. What we too often don’t recognize, though, is why.

Men, Who Needs Them? (09292012)

In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Greg Hampikian, professor of biology and criminal justice at Boise State University, opines that men today are increasingly unnecessary in a biological sense, implying their relevance in other spheres is likewise questionable. Read the whole thing here. Meanwhile, here’s a snippet:

Ultimately the question is, does “mankind” really need men? With human cloning technology just around the corner and enough frozen sperm in the world to already populate many generations, perhaps we should perform a cost-benefit analysis.

In case a feminist gets the vapors … (09232012)

Anthony Esolen provided an excellent exposition on the difference in meaning in the Greek words anthropos and aner. Read the whole thing here. And to whet your appetite, here’s his conclusion:

So it is not true that the Greek understood anthropos in a sexless sense. In its general use it corresponds exactly to English man, as in “Man proposes, God disposes,” and “The best laid plans of mice and men.” … So why not translate accordingly? We can always keep some smelling salts in the back, next to the incense, should any feminist suddenly catch the vapors.

The perspicuity of Scripture’s doctrine of sexuality (09152012)

In October 1998, Pr. Timothy Bayly, then Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Bloomington, Indiana, delivered a paper in Riga Latvia at a Latvian Lutheran conference entitled “Gender Theology: Questions, Problems, Perspectives.” Read all of it here. To whet your appetite, here’s a paragraph from its stirring conclusion:

It is my firm conviction that feminism is an evil like communism-equally destructive to the souls of men and, therefore, equally in need of forthright and bold opposition from Godly men who are willing to spend their lives honoring God and opposing this wickedness with every fiber of their being. And I sincerely hope that the men and women fighting this great evil in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are not paralyzed by the fear of men, and that they never give in to doubt as they guard this part of the “good deposit.”

Bill’s Blog Posts

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